When I was in New York two weeks ago — a Wednesday night, the 11th, third row center — I witnessed something that can hardly be described as a traditional play. Oh, Mary! isn’t so much theater as it is a full-blown camp event.
The Broadway smash, written by Pacific Northwest native Cole Escola, gleefully parodies one of the most tragic chapters in American history and turns it into something deliriously unhinged. It was never meant to be taken seriously. History books need not apply.
And yet, beneath the bloomers and the hoop skirts, there’s real craft — and a remarkable company of actors who treat the madness with razor-sharp precision.
A Northwest Takeover on Broadway
For those of us from the Pacific Northwest, Oh, Mary! carries a particular pride. Escola hails from Oregon. Jinkx Monsoon — who took over as Mary Todd Lincoln during the run — grew up in Portland and cut her teeth in Seattle’s theater scene. Cheyenne Jackson played ‘Mary’ Teacher’ a few months back, grew up near the Washington-Idaho border.
Sitting in that theater, it hit me: this outrageous Broadway hit is deeply rooted in Northwest talent.
John-Andrew Morrison, who plays Mary’s husband, hadn’t initially realized the depth of the regional connection.
“No,” he admitted with a laugh when I told him. But he lights up speaking about his castmates — especially Jinkx.
“She’s the loveliest. She gave everybody crystals. I have my bag of rocks from Jinkx. She said, ‘Carry your bag of rocks with you.’ So I do.”
Cheyenne Jackson, he added, gifted him a blanket. “When I have my naps in the theater, I snuggle up in my Cheyenne blanket.”
Broadway camaraderie, it seems, comes with accessories.
Enter John Cameron Mitchell
After Monsoon’s run, the legendary John Cameron Mitchell — who gave us Hedwig and the Angry Inch — stepped into the hoop skirt.
At 63, he is the oldest actor to tackle the role so far. The moment he steps onstage, however, any comparison to Hedwig vanishes. He is entirely Mary.
He’s physical. Wildly so. Morrison revealed that Mitchell originally made his entrance with a full Aikido roll — dress and all — before being gently asked to dial it back for safety. The role is demanding, athletic, and gloriously absurd.
And then there’s the hoop skirt — arguably the show’s biggest diva.
“That hoop skirt has a mind of its own,” Morrison said. “It’s like a character.”
All the Marys wear bloomers embroidered with red hearts. Some flash them boldly. Others let them peek out strategically. Each Mary chooses her own level of reveal.
It’s that kind of show.
A Cast That Keeps It Fresh
Morrison’s character is hysterical — flamboyant, conflicted, and somehow human in the middle of chaos. Hannah Solow brings elegance as Mary’s chaperone. Tony Macht’s Kyle, who has been with the production since its Off-Broadway run, is the steady hand of the company.
“You feel safe with him on stage,” Morrison said. “He’s an old pro.”
And then there’s Simu Liu — Shang-Chi and Barbie star — stepping in as Mary’s Teacher.
“Very fun, very silly, very game to play,” Morrison said. “It’s delicious having him.”
The rotating cast keeps the show alive in new ways. With only about 10 days of rehearsal when a new Mary steps in, recalibration happens fast. A missed prop, a forgotten line — in a show this precise, any slip can send actors into fits of suppressed laughter.
“Of course we’ve almost broken,” Morrison admitted. “Especially in this show.”
That tension — that live-wire unpredictability — is part of the thrill.
From A Strange Loop to Lincoln
Before donning the beard, Morrison earned a Tony nomination and won a Lucille Lortel Award for A Strange Loop. As an openly queer Black actor, the show resonated deeply.
“So many times I felt like I needed to fit into a box to do something on Broadway,” he said. “With Strange Loop, the box was me.”
Though deeply specific in its portrayal of a Black, queer experience, audiences of all backgrounds saw themselves reflected in it.
“Because it was so specific, it was universal,” he said.
That same humanization carries into Oh, Mary!
After spending months immersed in Lincoln lore — including another Lincoln project called The Three Summers of Lincoln.
“Even though they might have a title, at the end of the day, they’re all just human beings.”
It’s a fitting insight for a show that drags icons off their marble pedestals and into messy, hilarious humanity.
Butterflies in the Dressing Room
When we spoke, Morrison was in his dressing room at the Lyceum Theatre. Butterflies decorated the space.
They’re for his mother.
During lockdown, she suffered a massive stroke and lost the ability to speak. She also lost the use of the right side of her body. She was the one who first brought him to Broadway shows, who nurtured his love of theater. She has never been able to see him perform on Broadway.
“I FaceTime her from my dressing room,” he said. “Butterflies are her favorite.”
He thanks her in every playbill.
“She’s very proud of what I’ve been able to do.”
What Does “Queer” Mean?
At the end of every interview, I ask one question: What does “queer” mean to you?
Morrison didn’t hesitate.
“Fabulous and incandescent and fierce joy.”
It’s hard to imagine a better description of Oh, Mary! itself.
This is not a solemn historical drama. It is outrageous, physical, absurd, and meticulously crafted. It parodies tragedy. It revels in bloomers and hoop skirts and emotional meltdowns.
On that Wednesday night in New York, it was pure theatrical joy.
This current cast of Oh, Mary! at the Lyceum Theatre is expected to last through April.
